Our next conversion project, next week, will put the spotlight on
what's possible with advanced nickel-metal hydride batteries as we
convert a car in two days at Boston's Hynes Convention Center for
thousands of electrical engineers. It includes a few other new
technical solutions. Here are background and details.

CalCars' conversions are all strategic:
* as advocacy, to build awareness and support for PHEVs;
* as technology projects, to showcase what's possible with mostly
off-the-shelf components.
* as partnerships, to help companies demonstrate and launch their solutions.

It's now three years since we built our first "PRIUS+" conversion,
with lead-acid batteries, in Ron Gremban's garage in Corte Madera.
Since then, several companies have gone into the after-market
conversion business, mostly focusing on lithium-cobalt or
lithium-phosphate batteries.


LITHIUM-ION OR NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE
At the same time, we've long pointed out that carmakers could get
started making "good enough" PHEVs using nickel-metal hydride
batteries. This technology powers all of today's hybrids and electric
vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4-EV -- some of which have logged over
100,000 miles. (Thermal safety issues are minimal; chief concerns are
cost of nickel and battery weight.) In Spring 2006, we worked with
Electro Energy Inc. to demonstrate its bi-polar nickel-metal hydride
batteries, Recently, Toyota, deciding that ili-ion batteries were not
ready for the next version of the Prius, and eager to prove some
interest in evaluating PHEVs, has decided to build a few PHEVs with
Ni-MH. Its solution -- essentially adding a second battery like the
one now in the Prius, discharging it more deeply and increasing the
EV-only mode limit to 62 miles per hour -- leads to a vehicle with
8-9 miles of electric-only range.

CalCars' latest conversion will use more advanced nickel-metal
hydride batteries from Nilar, founded seven years ago in Sweden with
facilities in Boulder, Colorado. Nilar's engineering designs and
membrane technology improve Ni-MH energy density and reduce costs.
See http://www.nilar.com and the press info below.


DIY AND OPEN SOURCE CONVERSIONS
At the same time as we've been partnering with battery companies, we
continue to seee the value of spreading conversion technologies. Many
institutions and individuals have been frustrated at the continued
difficulty in getting cars converted -- after three years, there are
fewer than 100 vehicles worldwide. (See
http://www.calcars.org/where-phevs-are.html for a chronology and a
map that lags the list a bit.) Of course, the more cars out there,
the more people will appreciate their value and will work to create
the conditions for mass-production by carmakers.

We began our original PRIUS+ project as an "open source" effort,
where most or all of the intellectual property would be freely
available, and where a global community of engineers and inventors
would participate in refining the solutions. In fall 2005, along
with the Electric Auto Association, we started the Plug-In Hybrid
Special Interest Group http://www.eaa-phev.org to broaden the
participation and reach of conversions. The goal has been to enable
any owner of a 2004 or later Prius, Ford Escape or some other
vehicles to be able to get free instructions, help acquiring
components and ways either to find a volunteer partner with
high-voltage experience for a "DIY" (Do-It Yourself) conversion, or
pay an individual or company to convert a car based on our open source designs.

Progress in this volunteer project has been slow, but it has led to
our two MakerFaire conversions and a scattering of others. (We'll
convert another car with lead-acid batteries at the MakeFaire in
Austin in October.) See
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/User:Rgremban/2007_08_01-PriusPlus_Project_Update
for Ron's August update and appeal for more volunteers, and
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Template:PriusPlus-Doc_Process for the
latest version of the documentation.


THE BOSTON EVENT
In Boston, these two strands -- new batteries and new open source
designs -- come together in several ways.

First, we have the sponsorship of CMP Technology, which is part of an
international publishing company that has increasingly been
interested in this subject. Last spring at the Embedded Systems
Conference in San Jose, CMP sponsored a "Prius teardown" so engineers
could see what's in a hybrid. This year, the teardowns
http://www.embedded.com/esc/boston/teardowns continue with an iPhone
clone, a Vectrix electric scooter and a Nike Triax Elite. And now CMP
goes one step further, highlighting what we call "green-tuning" of
the Prius. CMP has generously agreed to donate the converted car to CalCars.

The company is sponsoring CalCars' team (from Northern and Southern
CA, Texas and Illinois) to travel to Boston to convert a car in front
of an audience of thousands of electrical engineers on Sept 19-20.

Second, the conference, attended by so many capable engineers, may
allow us to extend the opportunities for more engineers to make
design contributions by adopting project management techniques
pioneered by open source software projects like Linux, gnu and Mozilla.

Third, joining the CalCars team are two just-launching companies that
will offer conversion services and components and support DIY
converters using the EAA-PHEV designs:
* Plug In Conversions of Poway, CA http://www.pluginconversions.com
has already partnered with Nilar to convert a PHEV. Beginning first
quarter 2008 it will offer PHEV systems priced from $8,000 for a
PHEV-8 with a range of 8 EV-only miles, to $15,000 for a PHEV-24.
* Plug-In Supply of Petaluma (website to come by Sept. 19 at
http://www.plug-insupply.com ) expects to provide wiring harnesses,
and has refined, customized for different batteries, is putting in
the public domain and will sell CalCars' design for a "tilt-up"
battery box that allows access to the spare tire.

To register for the conference (reduced rates end Sept 14):
http://www.embedded.com/esc/boston/registration


NOTES ON CONVERSION: because the car was used for the Embedded
Systems teardown, we want to thank hybrid specialist Carolyn
Coquillette of San Francisco's new Luscious Garage
http://www.lusciousgarage.com for helping to rebuild the car so it
can be converted. When it returns to California, some final dashboard
and electronic components will be added and repaired so it can take
on its new life as a PHEV. And at that point we will also determine
the feasibility of adding additional batteries to bring the expected
low-speed electric-only range from 14 miles to 20.

MORE ON NILAR BATTERIES
See the Green Car Congress story, followed by over 50 comments, at
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/09/public-conversi.html


CMP PRESS RELEASE
http://cmp.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1775
First East Coast Public Conversion of Plug-In Hybrid Electronic
Vehicle Set for TechMash 2007

Event Combines the Expertise of the CalCar Initiative and the
Breakthrough Battery of Nilar; Audience to Learn how to Perform
Conversion Themselves

BOSTON, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- CMP Technology today announced that
during the upcoming TechMash 2007 (http://www.cmp.com/techmash)
conference in Boston, the East Coast will witness its first public
conversion of a Hybrid vehicle into a Plug-in Hybrid Electronic
Vehicle (PHEV). Combining the expertise of the California Cars
Initiative (CalCars) with Nilar, providers of a breakthrough Nickel
Metal Hydride Battery (NiMH), TechMash attendees will witness a live
conversion of a Toyota Prius hybrid into a PHEV
(http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Main_Page).

The live conversion will detail how:
-- A PHEV combines the advantages of both hybrid and electric
vehicles, with the added ability to plug in at night, using local
electricity for short daily trips, but also retaining long distance
range from the existing gasoline or diesel engine.
-- To do the conversion yourself, beating auto manufacturers by
several years, based on freely available open source designs that can
be broadly adopted by Toyota Prius owners who want a PHEV today.
-- Nilar's NiMH battery, which employs a revolutionary membrane
design, demonstrates the continuing high potential of NiMH at a time
when much of the focus is on lithium battery technologies whose
limitations continue to be a reason for the delay in production of PHEVs.
-- Using Nilar's NiMH battery simplifies the pack integration process
from a mechanical and controls perspective.

The live conversion will take place September 19th and 20th during
TechMash's Embedded Systems Conference. For information and to
register for the show visit
http://www.embedded.com/esc/boston/overview. You can also join the
live discussion and see a preview of the Prius teardown here
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3084711916

About CalCars Initiative
The California Cars Initiative (CalCars.org) is a Palo Alto-based
nonprofit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and
consumers promoting 100+MPG plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Somewhat uniquely, CalCars is itself a hybrid, focusing both on
public policy and technology development, and harnessing buyer demand
to help commercialize PHEVs. CalCars builds demand among highly
receptive markets to encourage auto makers to produce 100+MPG
"no-sacrifices" high-performance, clean plug-in hybrid cars. For more
information visit http://www.calcars.org/.

About Nilar
Nilar was founded in 2000, with production and R&D facilities located
in Denver, Colorado. Nilar has taken the approach of analyzing common
failure modes of traditional battery design and manufacturing and has
developed robust solutions that are remarkable simplifications in
design and production technique. Using the company's vast knowledge
and experience in industrial and military battery development, Nilar
has introduced a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery with the
company's patented Membrane Technology that enables performance
breakthroughs in energy and power density and simplification in pack
integration and control. For more information visit http://www.nilar.com/.

About CMP
CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the
technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted
information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology
professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the
premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed
to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on
investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media
(http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news
distribution and specialist information services with a market
capitalization of more than $3 billion.

About TechMash
CMP Technology will celebrate the spirit of collaboration and
combined brain power at TechMash Boston 2007. TechMash 2007 will
include The Embedded Systems Conference; the industry's largest
international embedded technical conference and exhibition, Software
Development Best Practices; a strategic forum for senior software
developers, RFID World Boston, focused on security, privacy and
authentication issues for the community that is using, building,
leveraging, and driving radio frequency identification (RFID)
technology, Near Field Communications(NFC); focused on the next wave
in connectivity and commerce.

CONTACT: See original press release

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Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
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